The American Physiological Society (APS) announced awardees for the 2010 Carolyn tum Suden/Francis A. Hellebrandt Professional Opportunity National Award, and two Michigan Tech graduate students were on that list. Christopher Schwartz (PhD candidate, biological sciences) and Sarah Stream (MS candidate, biological sciences) were two of 38 awardees announced this week. Over 140 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows throughout the US and beyond applied for the award.

Christopher and Sarah were not quite sure what to expect when they applied for this abstract-based award this past fall.

"I think in the back of our minds we were hopeful one of us would get recognized," said Schwartz. "We were both somewhat surprised that each of us received the award. It is quite an honor."

The two graduate students conduct research in the Integrative Physiology Laboratory under the advisement of Jason Carter, chair of the Exercise Science, Health and Physical Education department. Schwartz's research aims to determine the neurovascular responses to mental stress in normotensive and prehypertensive humans. Stream's research focuses on the influence of acute alcohol consumption on neural control of blood pressure and orthstatic stability in healthy humans.

"It is remarkable that both Christopher and Sarah received this award," said Carter. "This is a prestigious, well-recognized research award in the field of physiology. They were competing with graduate students and postdocs from some of the top universities and medical schools in our country. This award is a testament to their hard work, dedication and high caliber of research."

Christopher and Sarah will be honored during the 2010 Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, CA, this April. A full listing of all 38 awardees is available at the APS website.

Winter Carnival week was officially kicked off Saturday night, as Anna Uhl was crowned queen. The senior biological sciences major was sponsored by Sigma Phi Epsilon and Kukkakaupa, and her talent was "My Size Salsa Dancing Barbie."

Second place went to Jessica Thoresen, whose talent was "Legends of Azeroth" jazz dance and sponsors were First Year Experience and Celebrations Bridal & Formal Wear. She is second-year biological sciences major.

Third place went to Brittany Wood, who was sponsored by the Women's Soccer Club and Xpressions. For her talent, the second-year marketing and sports and fitness management major read "A Letter of Desperation: Dear Brett Favre."

Uhl will preside over the Carnival activities, including the all-nighter Wednesday night and the ride on the Zamboni at this weekend's hockey games.

The third and final semi-finalist candidate for the position of Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Jeff Wright, will be interviewing on campus today, Feb. 1, and Tuesday, Feb. 2. Wright is currently dean of engineering and campus director of the Computer and Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) research institute at the University of California, Merced. Wright will participate in an open forum for the campus community from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., today, in Rekhi G05. The remainder of Wright's schedule along with his curriculum vita can be viewed under the "Candidates" link on the search committee website,http://www.mtu.edu/provost/ . This and the remaining open forums will be recorded and made available at the search committee website.

The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs search committee encourages the campus community to interact with Wright during his visit and to evaluate his suitability for the position. Comments and opinions can be submitted online at http://www.mtu.edu/provost/ , or by contacting members of the search committee. A listing of the committee members can be found at http://www.mtu.edu/provost/committee.htm . The online evaluation site will close at 5 p.m., Monday, Feb. 8.

The School of Business and Economics professors Dana Johnson and Junhong Min have been awarded a fellowship to continue funding Eric Joseph, a current MBA student, with the second installment of the EcoCAR Outreach/Communications Graduate Fellowship.The grant of $7,500, made possible by Argonne National Laboratory and the American Society for Engineering Education, will continue to fund the EcoCAR project here at Michigan Tech. Each EcoCAR university is expected to match the contribution in order to fund a full-time Outreach/Communications person for the EcoCAR project.

The 89th Annual Transportation Research Board (TRB) meeting held in Washington, DC, from Jan. 10-14, was well represented by Michigan Tech's faculty, staff and students. The event brings together 10,000 transportation professionals from around the world for workshops, lectures, poster sessions and committee meetings on a wide range of transportation issues.

Terry McNinch, Michigan's Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) director, and Tim Colling, LTAP assistant director, received the Charley A. Wooten award for their 2009 outstanding paper in the field of policy and organization titled "Making Asset Management Work: Innovative Components for Successful Implementation by Local Agencies in Michigan." In addition, the two presented one of the first simulcast sessions at TRB which was broadcast to 65 sites around the country as part of the National Highway Institute (NHI) "Real Solutions" series. Their "Local Agency Traffic Safety as a Priority: Stop Doing the Talk and Start Doing the Walk" webinar highlighted their FHWA research project "Assessing the Impact of Local Agency Traffic Safety Training Using Ethnographic Techniques."

Russell Lutch, a master's graduate of the Rail Transportation Program (RTP) was recognized as the University Transportation Center (UTC) student of the year at the annual banquet of the Coalition of University Transportation Centers (CUTC), held on January 9 at the Omni Shoreham hotel. In addition to his recognition certificate, Lutch also received a cash award of $1000.

Associate Professor Zhanping You (CEE) presented his research on the effects of aggregate sphericity, fractured faces and orientations on creep stiffness of idealized hot-mix asphalt with graduate students Yu Liu, Shu Wei Goh and Julian Mills-Beale (all CEE) at the session, "Influence of Aggregate Shape, Angularity and Other Physical Characteristics on Performance."

Graduate student Darrell Cass (CEE) and his advisor, Assistant Professor Amlan Mukherjee (CEE) presented their paper, "Data Collection and Integration Method for Analyzing Context-Sensitive Life-Cycle Impacts of Highway Construction and Rehabilitation" to their peers at a session titled "Emerging Approaches and Technologies for Design and Construction of Transportation Facilities."

Jake Hiller, assistant professor (CEE), gave two presentations of his research at one poster session titled "Investigation of Using ESALs Versus Load Spectra for Rigid Pavement Design in Illinois and Prediction of Longitudinal Cracking in Rigid Pavements Under Various Environmental Conditions Using RadiCAL." In addition, Hiller presented his research in volumetric stability of concrete using recycled concrete aggregates at the AFD50(1) Subcommittee meeting.

Recent RTP graduate Justin Hicks had his poster on rail research displayed and joined RTP director Pasi Lautala at many of the rail industry sessions.

This is the first in a series of profiles of students involved with Winter Carnival.

Brad Nedrow spent a late night at Dee Stadium, herding Huskies into position to ice bowl, just one of several frenetic duties.

The third-year biological sciences major from Wolverine Lake exhibited much patience and decision-making abilities as he dashed around the ice on skates, coordinating the thirteen student organizations assembling to compete.

"I was chosen," is his modest explanation of how he ended up at the Dee this windy, frigid night. The Blue Key Honor Society member was new to his tasks, but he didn't look like a newbie as he deposited a hockey bag full of helmets outside the rink.

First, he explained the rules: "Everyone wears a helmet, and you have to stay behind the green line when throwing your ball."

In ice bowling, the "ball" is a Tech student hunched down on a plastic snow saucer, waiting to be slid toward giant wooden pins that line the width of the hockey rink.

"Anything outside the blue line is a gutter ball, same with anything short or hitting the boards," Nedrow continued. "The 'ball' needs to remember to keep arms and legs tucked in. You get six frames; it's scored like regular bowling, and if you knock the pins off the [spray-painted] green dots, they count as knocked down."

Next, he raced to where the pins were set up and checked the huge red, foam bumpers on the boards behind the pins. In the stands were two scorekeepers. There were also two pinsetters. A sixth Blue Key member was in the Dee lobby, registering the competing students.

Organized chaos is a good description.

The first two matches featured the Dawgs (Pep Band) vs. Concordia Lutheran and InterVarsity Christian Athletes vs. the Baseball Club.

All of the initial practice "throws" kept coming up short, so Nedrow decided to move the lines up.

"The ice is really good," he said, "so I don't know why they can't make the distance." The zamboni had just finished smoothing the surface after a high school hockey game.

With a new launching point some five feet closer, the bowlers managed to send their 'balls' spinning into the pins, and the sound of wood hitting ice ensued. There were even some chunks of wood scattered on the ice after a few frames. Serious ice bowling.

"The pin didn't come all the way off the dot," Nedrow shouted to the InterVarsity team, which thought it had a strike.

Usually lighter members of the teams are chosen to be the ball and slide in slowly rotating circles on the saucers ($9.99 at Dunham's).

"What's the score?" Nedrow asked one of the scorers. Then he dashed back across the ice to tell the Baseball Club.

Shouts of joy broke out when the teams finally perfected their technique and scored some strikes and spares. The Dawgs were the loudest, as you'd expect from the Pep Band.

Nedrow, red-faced with his jacket open, followed the results, reporting them to the students on the ice and those now assembling in the stands for the later matches. He also skated back to help set up the pins when he could.

Green Day, U2 and Daughtry provided the background music as Nedrow made his 45-foot dashes across the ice. He also slid to the corner near the lobby to inform the assembling students of the progress of the event and other insights.

There were no arguments to settle during these matches, and Concordia team members even corrected themselves before a toss, moving back so they released their "ball" behind the green line. Their self-discipline was rewarded with a strike.

The Baseball Club and Dawgs were victorious, and as it approached 10:30 p.m., the next four teams were beginning to warm up. Nedrow began the same rules speech for the groups on the ice.

"I'll be here until one," he said. "And then I do it again Wednesday, Thursday and Tuesday nights for four hours each night, at least, for the women's groups, residence halls and fraternities."

Would he do it again next year?

"Probably." Nedrow smiled, turned and dashed back to his ice bowlers and their fans.

A total of 19 teams have registered for the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge Twenty-ten, set for March 15-20. The Clean Snowmobile Challenge is a collegiate design competition of the Society of Automotive Engineers. Engineering students from participating schools take a stock snowmobile and reengineer it. Their aim: to reduce emissions and noise while maintaining or boosting performance. The Challenge also includes a zero emissions division for battery-powered sleds.

"This year, the theme for the internal combustion division is fuel economy," said co-organizer Jay Meldrum. "After 10 years of hosting the Challenge, we know we can beat industry emissions standards. Now we want to improve fuel economy using E2X."

Nominations are now open for the Graduate School Dean's Fellowship. Nominations are due no later than 4 p.m., Monday, March 1, in the Graduate School. This fellowship assists with the recruitment of highly talented applicants to Michigan Tech's PhD programs.

Nominations for summer and fall 2010 finishing fellowships are now open. Nominations are due no later than 4 p.m., Thursday, March 18.

Students are eligible if all of the following criteria are met:
* Must be a PhD student.
* Must expect to finish during the semester supported as a finishing fellow.
* Must be eligible for Research Only Mode during the semester supported.

Want to see your ideas grow? The registration date for Michigan Tech's first Business Plan Competition is Wednesday, Feb. 3. Michigan Tech graduate and undergraduate students as well as Finlandia University students are eligible to enter. The competition is hosted by Michigan Tech's Institute for Global Learning and Entrepreneurship, the School of Business and Economics (SBE) and the Michigan Tech SmartZone.

Michigan Tech's celebration of Black History Month kicks off with a concert featuring Michigan Tech's Praise in Effect Gospel choir and Riverside University High School Gospel Choir from Milwaukee, Wisc., from 3 to 4 p.m., today, in the Memorial Union Ballroom.

The Riverside Choir has performed in several venues for numerous audiences, including the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, the Milwaukee Branch of the N.A.A.C.P., V100's Hallelujah for the Holidays, Parklawn Church Assembly of God, St. Matthew CME Church, El-Shaddai Church of God in Christ, Canaan Missionary Baptist Church, Church of the Living God, and St. Mark AME Church.

Other events this week include a "Food for the Soul" brown bag lunch at noon, Wednesday, Feb. 3, in Memorial Union Alumni Lounge, which features a presentation by Kevin J. Walker, "Dispelling the Myths of Detroit: A Photo Presentation."

On Tuesday, Feb. 2, come to the Rozsa Center Box Office, buy your tickets to the Feb. 17 performance of the new Broadway musical hit The Wedding Singer, and we'll treat you to a delicious piece of wedding cake. If your piece of cake contains a wedding ring, your tickets are free. That's free food and free tickets (and you can keep the ring, too)!

The Rozsa Box Office hours are 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. There is a limit of two free tickets per person.

The event is sponsored by the Student Entertainment Board and the James and Margaret Black Endowment.

Ticket prices for the general public are $25 and $20; Tech student prices are $20 and $15 (student ID required). To purchase tickets, contact the Rozsa Box Office at 487-3200, the Central Ticket Office at 487-2073, Tech Express at 487-3308 or go online at http://www.tickets.mtu.edu .

Brad King (ME-EM), has received $166,374 from the University of Michigan for the first year of a potential five-year project totaling $866,373. His project is "Michigan/AFRL Center of Excellence in Electronic Propulsion (MACEEP)."